Name: answer file

Type: command

Syntax: answer file[s] <prompt> [with <defaultPath>] [titled <windowTitle>] [as sheet]

Summary:
Displays a <file dialog box|standard file dialog> for the user to select
a file.

Introduced: 1.0

OS: mac, windows, linux

Platforms: desktop

Security: disk

Example:
answer file "Select a file to delete:"
if the result is not "Cancel" then
   put it into tChosenFile
   -- Use the file path as required
end if

Example:
answer files "Select the files you wish to process:"
if the result is not "Cancel" then
   put it into tChosenFiles
   repeat for each line tFile in tChosenFiles

   end repeat
end if

Example:
answer file "Input:" with "/Macintosh HD/"

Parameters:
prompt (string):
If you specify empty, no prompt appears.

defaultPath:
The name and location of the folder whose contents are
listed when the dialog box appears. If no <defaultPath> is specified,
the dialog box lists the contents of the last folder you used with a
file dialog box.

windowTitle:
If specified, appears in the title bar of the dialog box.
If no <windowTitle> is given, the title bar is blank. This parameter
has no effect on macOS 10.11 (El Capitan) and above, so make sure that any important information is placed in the <prompt> parameter.

It:
The <answer file> command places the absolute file path(s) of the
selected file(s) as a return delimited list in the it variable.

The result:
If the user cancels the dialog, the it variable is set to
empty, and the result function returns "Cancel".

Description:
Use the answer file command to open a file chooser dialog.

The dialog box displayed is the same one most programs use for the 
"Open" command in the File menu.

>*Important:*  The answer file command does not open the file. It only 
> displays the dialog box and retrieves the path to the file the user 
> specifies.

If the as sheet form is used, the dialog box appears as a sheet on OS X 
systems. On other systems, the as sheet form has no effect and the
dialog box appears normally. Attempting to open a sheet from within
another sheet displays the second stack as a modal dialog box instead.
To give a dialog box a prompt when using the as sheet form a non-empty
title must be provided.  This will cause the prompt to appear in the
same place it would if as sheet was not being used.

If the <systemFileSelector> property is set to false, LiveCode's 
built-in dialog box is used instead of the operating system's 
standard file dialog.

>*Note:*  If you wish to filter the list of the files presented to 
> the user, use the <answer file with type> command.

References: ask file with type (command), revCopyFile (command),
open file (command), answer (command), ask file (command),
answer file with type (command), answer folder (command),
revUnixFromMacPath (function), files (function),
revMacFromUnixPath (function), file dialog box (glossary), it (keyword),
systemFileSelector (property), dontUseNS (property)

Tags: file system
